Spending time in New Caledonia without trying out at least one board sport would be a pity! They are almost a part of the sporting DNA of the territory. Windsurfing, stand-up paddle-boarding or wakeboarding, there’s something for everyone at any level!

Parachuting and paragliding

It all begins on the ground, but the sensations come once you’re in the air. With a parachute jump in New Caledonia, combine gorgeous landscapes with adrenaline. Attached to an experienced instructor and professional parachutist, feel your heart drop once you take the leap. Ready for adventure?

Nouméa, the capital city of New Caledonia is on the ocean. Several bays extend along the city, providing magnificent beaches and points of view. Besides its natural features, Nouméa also has very attractive cultural offerings for tourists who choose to visit there.

From Ouvéa to the Isle of Pines, passing through Lifou, Tiga and Maré, the five islands bordering the Mainland, Grande Terre to the East are yet more gems to discover. From the blue hole of Hanawa at Ouvéa to the Warrior’s Leap at Wakone on Maré, via the Jokin Cliffs at Lifou or the Oro Bay on the Isle of Pines, let yourself be amazed!

The West Coast of the mainland (Grande Terre) shows off a great variety of scenery from its northern tip down to the area surrounding Nouméa. Characterised by both large spaces favouring cattle farming and a lagoon of stunning beauty, the West Coast is also host to a rich cultural heritage.

The central mountain range of the Mainland (Grande Terre) is a natural boundary, overlooking the very different faces of the East and West Coasts. Exposed to strong winds and therefore more humid, the eastern coast offers scenery with sumptuous flora. With a population of largely Melanesian origin, the East Coast has also retained a particularly charming flavour of authenticity.

The Great South, comprising the Mont-Dore and Yaté municipalities, is the most symbolic region for New Caledonia’s three main colours: blue, green and red. From the rainforest to the mining lands there are a thousand shades of green, while the ocean offers a dazzling palette of blues. But if one colour dominates the Great South, it is the specific red of its ground.

Geography

Surrounded by the vast expanse of the South Pacific, New Caledonia, with a surface area of 18,564 km², lies to the east of Australia and south of the thousands of islands and archipelagos making up Melanesia and Micronesia. The country boasts an amazing diversity of landscapes.

The essential

The range of mountains

The West coast

The East coast

The barrier reef

The Great South

The islands

The Main Island resembles a long tongue of land bisected by a range of mountains running from north to south and rising to two high peaks: Mont Panié (1,628 m) in the North-East and Mont Humboldt (1,618 m) in the South-West.

To the West, the vegetation is tinged with hues of yellow and brown (savannah, niaouli trees), while the more “tropical” East Coast is clothed in the darker green of dense, lush vegetation.

The endless ribbon of the barrier reef encircles the entire Main Island in an almost unbroken line, at a distance of a few nautical miles from the coast. The 1,600 km long barrier reef, the second longest in the world after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, shelters a lagoon covering a total area of 24,000 km², of which 15,000 km² are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Peridotite masses covered by thick mineral-rich lateritic mantles extend over large areas of the Main Island’s 16,500 km². The fiery red lateritic soil is the source of New Caledonia’s wealth of nickel ore.

To the East, four islands form the Loyalty Islands group: Lifou, Maré, Tiga and Ouvéa. Together with the Isle of Pines to the south, they are perfect island jewels. These are the islands best known to tourists but hundreds of other islands and islets lie dotted around the coastline of New Caledonia.